Last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers were one of many teams to meet with star forward Carmelo Anthony. With their attention solely focused on Anthony, the team let their other free agents sit and wait while they awaited Anthony’s decision.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Try Me” T-Shirts? —
Once it was clear that Anthony would not come to Los Angeles, the Lakers moved towards other players, notably signing Nick Young to a four-year contract. According to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News, Young was very nervous throughout the ordeal:
I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Young said. “I was nervous and scared. I wanted to be here, but I kept hearing all the Carmelo rumors and Kobe having dinner with Carmelo. I knew once they paid him all that money, there would be none for me.”
Had Young not returned, he was sparking interest from some very good teams around the league:
Young reported he also sparked interest from the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls, the latter scenario only possible had Pau Gasol not left the Lakers for the Bulls.
Now that Young has his deal in place, he is focused on helping the team recruit some more players into the fold. While Kobe Bryant continues to try and convince Rajon Rondo join the team next summer, Young had some words with Goran Dragic during the team’s game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
The Lakers’ focus on Carmelo Anthony last summer, undoubtedly hurt the team’s chances of keeping some promising players such as Jordan Farmar and Kent Bazemore. Thankfully, Young was able to be retained as he has continued to be a bright spot, despite a recent slump, in a season without many of them.
[divide]Lakers Kobe Bryant Discusses Future Possibility Of Being Shutdown